Smart City plan will delink Mum from Maha: Sena

MUMBAI/NAGPUR: In an attack on the Smart City project, Saamna accused the Narendra Modi government of hatching a plot to de-link Mumbai from Maharashtra to turn it into a Union Territory. “The project is a move to bring in a new kind of underworld to control Mumbai, a parallel regime,” stated an editorial on Monday.
Alleging that the Centre had made up its mind to impose a builder-corporate-mercantile rule on Mumbai under the pretext of the project, Saamna took strong objection to the Union government’s move to set up a special purposes vehicle (SPV) board to monitor the scheme in 100 cities, including Mumbai.“Bureaucrats and sarkari babus will be appointed on the board. Worse, the moneyed-class too will be its members. Put simply, Mumbai’s administration will be transferred from BMC to a private gang of corporate honchos, builders and the mercantile class who have always treated Mumbai as their concubine,” said the Sena mouthpiece. “Is the project a joke or Maharashtra’s insult?” it asked.
The editorial comes close on the heels of MNS chief Raj Thackeray criticizing the project. Last week, Raj had said the project would in no way help improve Mumbai’s infrastructure as the proposed allocation of Rs 100 crore per year for Mumbai for five years was deplorably meagre.
Saamna too said the Centre’s annual allocation of Rs 100 every year to Mumbai was “pittance” compared with the BMC’s Rs 34,000 crore annual budget. “This is akin to plundering an empress’s treasury and then offering her some money as alms,” remarked the morninger.
Saamna’s onslaught against the plan is an indication that the Sena is all set to roll up its sleeves against the BJP after a brief lull last month. Since it joined the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in November last year, the Sena has been at loggerheads with the BJP on a slew of issues.
The editorial reflected Matoshree’s growing concern that the Smart City project—for which Lower Parel, a Sena bastion, has been chosen—may impact its vote-bank in the 2017 BMC polls. The civic election, said analysts, will be the Sena’s litmus test should Matoshree not ink a poll pact with the BJP. Ditto with the BJP, analysts added.
Pointing out that Mumbai needed a robust framework of civic services and not big-ticket projects, Saamna said the project will create islands of prosperity amid poverty. These islands will be controlled by a new East India company, while corporators will have to face the citizens’ brunt, it said.
Meanwhile, in Nagpur, the CM told the state assembly that he had spoken to leaders of all major parties, including cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj, on the project and sought everyone’s participation to make it a success.